Electric Hookups More Than Just A Problem

A Tulsa man has concerns about the repairs made to get the power back on at his home.  After spending more than a week in the dark and cold, he was desperate to get electricity flowing again, but after looking at the repair job, he now says it was not only expensive, but dangerous.

"This was 11, uh, $1,111," said Jim Ross.

At the time, Jim Ross wasn't too worried about spending that much to get the power turned on.  He and his two sons had just spent 11 nights in the dark, but when Jim looked closely at the repair work, even his untrained eyes could see problems.

"That is alive and hot, and would be a terrible mistake to touch," said Ross.

The electricians left his meter hanging from the box, using wires to attach his home directly to the incoming feed.  So Ross asked some neighbors for a second opinion.

"Just to say 'can you take a look and give me a clue because I still don't know, it doesn't look right,'  and they were with friends who had some building experience and seemed to think that this was nowhere near done and quite dangerous," said Ross.

"The electricians are hotwiring across that meter can, so the citizen can have power," said City of Tulsa's Director of Development Jack Page.

Page says the city allowed electricians to take shortcuts to get the power back on.  He says in some cases, old meters won't fit in new meter boxes.  In this case, the electricians say the meter was damaged.  They hooked the power back up, leaving the unattached meter hanging so PSO can replace it.

"The electricians are usually trying to put a piece of cardboard across it so that it's not inviting to stick your hand in, but the main thing to do is just stay away from it," said Page.

PSO will use its meter readers to identify old or damaged meters that need to be replaced.  The City of Tulsa says it is still requiring permits and inspections for any repair work done by electricians, but it's going to take a while to catch up on the backlog.